Secret Of Success.pdf

The Secret Of Success

By William Walker Atkinson 1907

The Secret of Success

It is with some hesitation that we bring ourselves to write this little book, entitled "The

Secret of Success." Not that we are not in sympathy with the subject - not that we do

not believe that there is a "Secret of Success" - but because there has been so much

written on the subject of "Success" that is the veriest twaddle - masses of platitudinous

wordiness - that we hesitate to take the position of a teacher of Success. It is so easy to

fill pages of paper with good advice - it is so much easier to say things than to do them -

so much easier to formulate a code of precepts than to get out into the field of active

endeavor and put into practice the same percepts. And, you may imagine why we

hesitate to assume a role which would lay us open to the suspicion of being one of the

"do as I tell you, and not as I do" teachers of the Art of Success.

But there is another side of the question. There is, besides the mere recital of a List of

Good Qualities Leading to Success - a list with which every schoolboy and reader of the

magazines is acquainted - a Something Else; and that Something Else, is a suggestion

that the Seeker for Success has a Something Within himself which if expressed into

activity and action will prove of great value to him - a veritable Secret of Success,

instead of a code of rules. And, so we propose to devote this little book to unfolding our

idea of what this Something Within is, and what it will do for one who will unfold it and

thus express it into action. So, therefore, do not expect to find this book a "Complete

Compendium of Rules Conducive to Success, Approved of and Formulated by the

Successful Men of the World who became acquainted with these Rules only after they

had Attained Success, and consequently had Time and Inclination to Preach to Others."

This is not a book of that sort. It is Quite Different. We hope you will like it - it will do you

good in any event.

All people are striving and seeking Success. Their idea of Success may differ, but they

have all agreed upon the desirability of Attainment. "Attainment"-that is the word, which

embodies the essence of that which we call Success. It is the "Getting-There" idea - the

idea of Attainment - of Reaching the Goal for which we set out. That is the story -

Attainment.

Many men and women have endeavored to point out the way to Success, and while

some have rendered valuable service to those who were following them on the Path of

Attainment, yet none have been able to tell the whole story of Success. And this is not

to be wondered about, for the reason that on the road to Success each and every

individual must be, in a measure a law unto himself, or herself. No two temperaments

are exactly alike - Nature delights in variety; no two sets of circumstances are precisely

the same - infinite variety manifests here also. And so it would be folly to attempt to lay

down rules of universal application, which would surely lead all to the great goal of

Success. One has but to look around him on all sides and see the different needs of the

different individuals composing the crowd, in order to recognize the futility of any

attempt to lay down lines of universal instruction on this subject. Each and every man

who has succeeded has done so in a different way - generally along some original lines

of action - in fact, the faculty or characteristic known as Individuality, seems to have

played an important part in the success of the majority of persons who have attained it.

And Individuality renders those possessing it to a marked degree to be likely to depart

from any set of rules or laid-out courses of action. And so, it may be stated as a general

principle that each must work out his own Success along the lines of his own

Individuality, rather than by following any set rule or line of conduct.

In view of what we have just said, it may seem strange that feeling as we do we have

ventured to write a little book entitled "The Secret of Success," -particularly as we have

started the said book by declaring the impossibility of laying down any set rules on the

subject. This may seem like a paradox, but a little examination will show you that it is

not so. It is true that we believe that each and every person must work out his own

Success, along the lines of his own Individuality, instead of along some cut-and-dried

plan. And right here is where the "Secret of Success" comes in. "Along the lines of his

own individuality," we have just said - then it must follow that one must possess

Individuality before he may work along its "lines. "And in the measure that he possesses

Individuality, so will he possess the first prerequisite to Success. And that is what we

mean by "The Secret of Success" - INDIVIDUALITY.

Every person possesses dormant and latent Individuality - but only a few allow it to

express itself. The majority of us are like human sheep trotting along complacently after

some self-assertive bellwether, whose tinkling bell serves to guide our footsteps. We

have absorbed the notion somehow that these bellwethers possess the sum and

substance of human knowledge and power, and ability to think - and instead of

unfolding our own dormant powers, and latent possibilities, we allow them to remain in

obscurity, and we trot along, jogitty-joggity-jog after our pet bellwether. People are very

much like sheep in this way - they are obedient and imitative animals, and rather than

assume the responsibility of directing their own footsteps, they wait until someone takes

the lead, and then away they stampede after him. Is it any wonder that the leaders claim

the choicest pickings for themselves, and allow the flock to get only the scrubby grass?

Not a bit of it - they have earned the choice bits by reason of lock of Individuality and

Initiative on the part of those following them - in fact, they were chosen as leaders

because of this self-assertive, and self-directive quality. If they had stood back in a

modest, mild manner, they would have been pushed aside by the flock that would

disclaim them as leaders, in favor of others who knew how to push to the front.

Now, in this little book we shall not endeavor to awaken a spirit of "bellwetherism" in

you, nor to urge you to strive to lead the flock – there is nothing in the mere leading of

people other than vainglory and petty self-satisfaction. The desirable thing is to possess

sufficient Individuality and Initiative to be your own bellwether – to be a law unto

yourself, so far as other men are concerned. The great men – the strong men – care

nothing for the flock, which so obediently trots along after them. They derive no

satisfaction from this thing, which pleases only inferior minds, and gratifies only petty

natures and ambitions. The big men – the great spirits of all ages – have derived more

satisfaction from that inward conviction of strength and ability which they felt unfolding

into activity within themselves, than in the plaudits of the mob, or in the servility of those

imitative creatures who sought to follow in their footsteps.

And, this thing called Individuality is a real thing. Inherent in each of us, and which may

be developed and brought into activity in each one of us if we go about it right.

Individuality is the expression of our Self – that Self which is what we mean when we

say "I". Each of us is an Individual – an "I" – differing from every other "I" in the

universe, so far as personal expression is concerned. And in the measure that we

express and unfold the powers of that "I", so are we great, strong and successful. We all

"have it in us" – it depends upon us to get it out into Expression. And, this Individual

Expression lies at the heart of the "Secret of Success". And that is why we use the term

– and that is what we shall tell you about in this little book. It will pay for you to learn this

"Secret".

The Individual

In our last lesson we stated that we considered the "Secret of Success" to consist

principally of the Free Expression of the Individual - the "I." But before you will be able

to apply this idea successfully, you must first awaken to a realization of what the

Individual - the "I" within you - really is. This statement may appear ridiculous at first to

many of you, but it will pay you to acquaint yourself fully with the idea behind it, for upon

the true realization of "I" comes Power.

If you will stop and take stock of yourself, you will find that you are a more complex

being than you had at first considered yourself to be. In the first place there is the "I,"

which is the Real Self or the Individual, and there is the "Me," which is something

attached to and belonging to the "I" - the Personality. For proof of this, let the "I" take

stock of the "Me," and it will find that the latter consists of three phases or principles, (ie.

1. The Physical Body; 2. The Vital Energy; 3. The Mind). Many people are in the habitat

of regarding their bodies as the "I" part of them, but a little consideration will show them

that the body is but a material covering, or machine through which and by means of

which the "I" is able to manifest itself. A little thought will show that one may be vividly

conscious of the "I Am" part of himself while totally oblivious of the presence of the

physical body. This being so, it follows that the "I" is independent of the body, and that

the latter falls into the "Me" classification. The physical body may exist after the "I" has

left it - the dead body is not the "I." The physical body is composed of countless

particles which are changing places every moment of our lives - our body of today is

entirely different from our body of a year ago.

Then comes the second principle of the "Me" - the Vital Energy, or what many call Life.

This is seen to be independent of the body, which it energizes, but it, too, is transitory

and changeable, and readily may be seen to be but a something used to animate and

energize the body - an instrument of the "I," and therefore a principle of the "Me". What,

then, is left to the "I" to examine and determine its nature? The answer that comes

naturally to the lips is, "The Mind, by which I know the truth of what you have just said.

"But, stop a moment, you have said, speaking of the mind, "by which I know" – have

you not, in saying this, acknowledged the mind to be a something through which the "I"

acts? Think a moment - is the mind YOU? You are aware that your mental states

change - your emotions vary - your feelings differ from time to time - your very ideas

and thoughts are inconsistent and are subject to outside influences, or else are molded

and governed by that which you call "I", or your Real Self. Then there must be

something behind Mental States, Ideas, Feelings, Thoughts, etc., which is superior to

them and which "knows" them just as one knows a thing apart from itself but which it

uses. You say "I" feel; "I" think; "I" believe; "I" know; "I" will; etc. , etc. Now which is the

Real Self? The Mental States just mentioned or the "I" which is the subject or Real

Cause of the mental phenomena? It is not the Mind that knows, but the "I" which uses

the Mind in order to know. This may seem a little abstruse to you if you have never been

made a study of the subject, but think it over a little and the idea will clearly define itself

in your mind.

We are not telling you these things merely to give you an idea of metaphysics,

philosophy, or psychology - there are many books that go into these matters at length

and in detail - so it is not for that reason. The real reason is that with a realization of the

"I" or Real Self, comes a sense of Power that will manifest through you and make you

strong. The awakening to a realization of the "I", in its clearness and vividness, will

cause you to feel a sense of Being and Power that you have never before known.

Before you can express Individuality, you must realize that you are an Individual. And

you must be aware of this "I" within you before you can realize that you are an

Individual.

The "Me" side of you is what is called Personality, to the outer appearance of yourself.

Your Personality is made up of countless characteristics, traits, habits, thoughts,

expressions and motions - it is a bunch of peculiarities and personal traits that you have

been thinking was the real "I" all this time. But it is not. Do you know what the idea of

Personality arose from? Let us tell you. Turn to the pages of any good dictionary, and

you will see that the word originated from the Latin word "Persona", meaning "a mask

used by actors in ancient times", and which the word in turn was derived from two other

words, "sonare," meaning to "sound," and "per," meaning"through," the two words

combined meaning "to sound through" - the idea being that the voice of the actor

sounded through the mask of the assumed personality or character. Webster gives the

following as one of the meanings of "Person," even to this day: "A character or part, as

in a play; an assumed character." So then, Personality means the part you are playing

in the Great Play of Life, on the Stage of the Universe. The real Individual concealed

behind the mask of Personality is YOU - the Real Self - the "I" - that part of you which

you are conscious when you say "I AM," which is your assertion of existence and latent

power. "Individual" means something that cannot be divided or subtracted from -

something that cannot be injured or hurt by outside forces - something REAL. And you

are an Individual - a Real Self - an "I" - Something endowed with Life, Mind, and Power,

to use, as you will.

A poet named Orr wrote:

Lord of a thousand worlds am I,

And I reign since time began;

And night and day, in cyclic sway,

Shall pass while their deeds I scan.

Yet time shall cease ere I find release,

For I AM the soul of Man

Spiritedness

To many of you, the title of this lesson - Spiritedness - may seem to have some

connection with "spirits," "disembodied entities," or else the "soul" or some higher part of

it, to which the name Spirit is often applied. But, in this case, we use the word in a

different sense, and yet in a sense approved by many advanced teachers and

investigators of the occult and spiritual. One of the meanings of the word"spirit" as given

by Webster is as follows:"Energy, vivacity, ardor, enthusiasm, courage," etc. , while the

same authority defines the word "spirited" as:"Animated; full of life and vigor, lively," etc.

These definitions will give you a hint of the sense in which we are now using the term,

but there is still more to it.

To us the word Spirit expresses the idea of the real essential nature of the Universal

Power, and which is also manifested in man as the center of his being - his essential

strength and power, from whence proceeds all that renders him an Individual.

Spiritedness does not mean the quality of being ethereal, "goody-goody," spiritual,

otherworldly, or anything of that sort. It means the state of being "animated," meaning,

"possessed of life and vigor" - so that the state is really that of being filled with Power

and Life. And that Power and Life comes from the very center of one’s being - the "I

AM" region or plane of mind and consciousness.

Spiritedness is manifested in different degrees among different men - and even among

the animals. It is an elementary, fundamental, primitive quality and expression of Life,

and does not depend upon culture, refinement or education - its development seems to

depend upon such instinctive or intuitional recognition of the Something Within - the

Power of the Individual which is derived from that Universal Power of which we are all

expressions. And even some of the animals seem to possess it.

A recent writer on the "Taming of Animals" expresses instinctive realization of

Spiritedness among some of the higher animals as follows:"Put two male baboons in

the same cage, and they will open their mouths, show all their teeth, and ‘blow’ at each

other. But one of them, even though he may possess the uglier dentition, will blow with

a difference, with an inward shakiness that marks him as the under dog at once. No test

of battle is needed at all. It is the same with the big cats. Put two, or four, or a dozen

lions together, and they also, probably without a single contest, will soon discover which

one of them possesses the mettle of the master. Thereafter he takes the choice of the

meat; if he chooses, the rest shall not even begin to eat until he has finished; he goes

first to the fresh pan of water. In short he is ‘king of the cage. ’Now, then, when a tamer

goes into a den with a big cat that has taken a notion to act ‘funny,’ his attitude is almost

exactly that of the ‘king beast’ above mentioned would be toward a subject rash and ill

advised enough to challenge his kingship."

You will notice in the above quotation, that the writer states clearly that it is not always

the baboon with the fiercest tusks that is the master, neither does the "king lion"

necessarily assert his dominion by winning a physical fight - it is something far more

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